With the 10 titles which will begin in Salt Lake City after the announcement of the discussion of the NBA All-Star Game 2023 moves to alternates. Who should fill the remaining 14 spots for the highly anticipated game in Utah? The answer to this question will depend on the fan being asked, although there are always consensus names.
In an age where more and more stars are in the NBA and the talent doesn’t stop growing, it is difficult to keep 14 players, more if they are divided by position and only 7 from each conference can be substitutes.
With Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Zion Williamson and LeBron James as starters in the west, who should be the backups? It’s time to break it down.
Before starting a reminder, the positions you need to understand are: 3 guards2 front court and 2 players wild card.
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Ja Morad
In his intense battle guards What’s in the Western Conference? Ja Morad He came out “lost” against two massive phenomena like Doncic and Curry. That doesn’t detract from the terrible season the Memphis Grizzlies point guard is having.
Not only is Morant replicating last year’s scoring numbers, but he has improved significantly in one area as important as playmaking. The point guard is average 8.0 assists with 20 points produced thanks to her, one of the best data in the league.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Finally, Shai is healthy and that has paid off with an All-Star caliber first half of the season. A level that allows OKC to fight for a ticket to the Playoffs thanks to the Play-In tournament, as his team is in the middle of the battle for the 10th place.
The Canadian point guard took a great step forward and ranks among the top scorers in the entire NBA. Without further ado, it’s on its way to registration third season with most points averaged in Oklahoma City Thunder history (30,8), just behind the Durant (32) and Westbrook (31.6) MVPs.
Damian Lillard
his campaign give it to me He has gone from less to more, unlike the Blazers. However, its base Portland he has slowly regained his pre-injury version and earned a spot among the All-Star alternates.
Lillard walks toward it top 5 on the list of most threes and is already in sixth place. Additionally, he already has two different games of 50 or more points, which puts him behind only Doncic in total for the current stretch.
Anthony Davis
The injury that kept him out from December to January meant that AD did not make the starting five for the Western Conference. A real shame because the Lakers player was coming off a flawless season after two streaks at an unknown level.
At 29 years old, the Los Angeles insider seems to have reunited with his best self. He has raised his success rate to two, from 57.1% to 61.5% as well as from triple (29.4%), which has made us forget the previous 18.6%. If not for the physical issues, Davis’ season would have been much more valuable.
Domantas Sabonis
The man responsible for the resurgence of the Kings has his own name and that is Domantas Sabonis. The Lithuanian player certainly changed the course of the second-worst franchise in the last 15 years in the NBA. Heading into Sacramento’s first playoff appearance since 2006, Sabonis is emerging as a solid, reliable interior with a big impact on his team’s results.
The former Unikaha’s third All-Star selection is more than worthy as reflected by his 18.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 7.3 assists from the West’s third-place leader.
Lauri Markkanen
The first wild card goes to the top contender to win the award for The most progressive player in this season. After some ups and downs in Chicago and Cleveland, Markkanen certainly woke up from his slumber to become the face of Utah.
The Finn has surprised locals and strangers alike with his performance since his career was unthinkable to predict he would make this leap. With 10 points increase in rating compared to last year (24.8 in it) The Utah Jazz number is shooting 43% from three and 59.1% from two, amazing numbers for his breakout year.
Paul George
The last of the wild card It should go to a player whose performance is always in question like Paul George. The performance of the Clippers forward was one of the few constants for the Californians in a somewhat difficult run.
PG numbers don’t tell the whole story of a season in which he played at an All-Star level. His involvement in the defense and his importance to the team make him worthy of this appreciation.
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